Renaissance in the Kingman, Arizona historic district, and along the Route 66 corridor, took a colorful turn this past week. Missouri based mural artist Ray Harvey of Ray Harvey Art arrived in Kingman to begin two murals commissioned by the owners of Mudd on 66, Tin Can Alley, and Scoops on 66.

Harvey is a critically acclaimed muralist that has been a featured artist for the Missouri Arts Council. His llist of commercial clients includes the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, Merrill-Lynch, St. Albans Properties, Harpercollins Publishing, and the Gateway Arch Museum in St. Louis, Missouri.

At Victorian Gardens independent living facility in Eureka, Missouri he completed a 17,000 square foot continual mural. Harvey has also completed 25 murals along the Route 66 corridor including a 250-foot transportation scene in the atrium of the Midwest Truckport in Cuba, Missouri. And in Hannibal, Missouri he was given the key to the city after completing 26 large public murals in the historic downtown district. In Missouri, he is known as the patriotic muralist and a current project is a series of public art displays that has resulted in Concordia, Missouri being labled as the states “Patriotic Mural City.”

His murals in KIngman at Mudd on 66 and Tin Can Alley will be his first in Arizona. They will enhance Kingman’s growing reputation for public art displays that includes murals as well as scupltures and neon signage. Harvey discussed his passion for public art, his career, his murals and the planned murals in Kingman on the March 24, 2024 episode of Coffee With Jim, the podcast from Jim Hinckley’s America.

A mural created by J.C. Amberlyn is on display at the Powerhouse Visitor Center. Amberlyn is an artist, author, photographer, and animator. She is the recipient of numerous awards including recognition from the Arizona Game and Fish Department for her work on wildlife in 2008 as Outdoor Writer of the Year, and a Women Making History community award for her contributions to the arts in Kingman. Her illustrations have been published in fine art magazines, comic books and the New York Times.

A statue created by J. Anne Butler is on display on Depot Plaza at the historic railroad depot along Route 66. Her bronzes have been commisioned and collected by an array of collectors, private and corporate. Her list of clients includes Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of Oman, Val Bunting, Bordeaux, France, Sarah, Duchess of York, England, Arabian Horse Society of Great Britain and the Norwegian Arabian Horse Association.

Also on display in Kingman are sculptures by Solomon Bassoff and Domenica Mottarella, and Donald Gialanella.Gialanella apprenticed with artist Louise Bourgeois after earning a BFA in sculpture from The Cooper Union in New York. His larger-than-life sculptures are on display in public and private collections in over a dozen cities from California to New York.Solomon Bassoff and Domenica Mottarella, collectively known as Faducci, are renowned for their artistic talents and attention to detail that transform building materials such as concrete into life like animals. Faducci established in 2002 has developed an international reputation for the creation of whimsical sculptures for public art projects as well as private collections.

Ray Harvey was given a warm wlecome to Kingman with a reception at the Kingman Center for The Arts. This was a part of the First Friday festivities that included showings at five galleries in the historic district, and an open house at Beale Street Theatre. The theatre that dates to 1948 is undergoing restoration and is expected to open in 2025.

Harvey’s murals will be a welcome addition to the historic district that has been undergoing a renaissance since 2014. The murals will also illustrate the city’s vibrant arts community, and contribute to Kingman’s growing reputation as a destination for Route 66 enthusiasts. They will also be added to the narrated self guided historic district walking tours created by Kingman Main Street that includes historic sites, sites associated with films and celebrities, and public art.